Like an extended sunset and sunrise all at once, the midnight sun in Norway paints the place with red and yellow hues. With the sun rising and setting only once every year on the poles, the capital has a lot more to offer than ceaseless sunny days.

If you are planning a vacation to a foreign land and haven’t considered the midnight sun countries, then you are missing out on a major part of Europe, which is a summer time bliss and stands apart from all other destinations in the continent. Norway is one of those countries in Scandinavia, where the sun never really sets and can often be seen past midnight for weeks and even months; owing its geography and proximity to the North Pole.

With the earth tilted on its axis, polar regions constantly face the sun at their respective summer solstices. At the poles – North Pole and South Pole, the sun only rises and sets once each year. The midnight sun phenomena is observed particularly near the North Pole that occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle, when the sun remains visible even at midnight for 76 days between May and July. Nowhere in the country experiences true darkness and the first stars aren’t visible until mid-August; so much so, the phenomena and its beauty has also carved a way into several Norwegian songs and books.

More than just the ever glaring sun
In the northern half of Norway and even in some southern parts, the summer sun is never far below the horizon and it’s inspiring to wonder about all the sights and experiences that have been made under the midnight sun in all these years.

Many sights and activities are open at night during these weeks, enabling you to enjoy midnight golfing, cycling, river paddling, sea kayaking or fishing. During the chilly summer nights in the north, you could also try a midnight swim or pitch a tent in the wild and stay up while the sun doesn’t go down. If you travel to the arctic islands of Svalbard, the sun doesn’t set between April and late August, where you can do a midnight walk on a glacier or look at the reddish sky from a moving sleigh.

Amongst the many destinations in Norway where you can enjoy this phenomenon is Helgeland – the southern Norwegian district – home to many dense forested areas, islands and skerries, some with impressive mountains. Moving inside the Arctic Circle, Salten boasts of various peaks such as the Børvasstindan south of Bodø. Another place is Troms county, which is pine and birch forested and crisscrossed with inland waterways, fjords and highlands around the rivers Målselva and Reisaelva. Finally, Finnmark County is also contrasted with fjords and glaciers in the far south-west, where people can admire the artworks painted by nature.